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Dovewing's Silence/Chapter 9
Chapter description :Dovewing enters camp, dragging her blackbird through the thorn barrier. She thinks that it has been a quarter moon since she and Blossomfall had searched for catmint, and more cats had fallen sick. The gray she-cat reflects that the sickness has spread beyond ThunderClan, as ShadowClan’s medicine cat, Littlecloud had asked to borrow some catmint from them. As Dovewing and her patrol enter camp, Bramblestar praises their catch. He meows that it’s hard to keep the fresh-kill pile full with so many cats sick, but without food, they’ll all fall ill quicker. Dovewing looks worriedly at her leader, knowing that his thin frame reflects how little he is eating. She also thinks about Brightheart, who is helping with hunting patrols despite being a queen. :A patrol consisting of Berrynose, Poppyfrost, and Leafpool pads into camp, carrying bundles of herbs. Jayfeather asks if they were able to find any catmint, but they say no, even though they tried their hardest. Leafpool reports that they gathered some herbs that might help the symptoms of sick cats, and both agree to go out tomorrow and get more. Dovewing watches their conversation, proud that ThunderClan’s medicine cats are resourceful with what they have. Her eye is then caught by Molepaw, who is playing with Amberkit, Dewkit, and Snowkit. She stops their game after discovering that they are both calling the Dark Forest cats traitors, even after the battle has been won. Daisy bustles out of the nursery, telling the gray warrior that all kits play fight and that no one ever gets hurt. Molepaw agrees with the cream-she-cat, telling Dovewing to leave where she’s not wanted. She growls at him, telling the apprentice that he knows what he’s doing, and that it’s not good for the Clan. Dovewing turns away, thinking that ThunderClan may never be safe if they’re divided within themselves. :The following morning, Squirrelflight orders every cat to organize themselves into patrols. Poppyfrost offers to lead one, and Birchfall says he’ll go with her. The she-cat awkwardly replies that she wanted to ask Millie instead. As the gray tabby warrior joins Poppyfrost, Dovewing is upset at the hurt in her father’s eyes. She offers to lead a patrol, inviting Ivypool, Birchfall, Thornclaw, and Mousewhisker. Dovewing leaves camp with her companions trailing behind, heading towards the WindClan border. All of the cats quickly make catches, and they bury it. Moments after, Dovewing spots Molepaw and his sister racing towards her, with Rosepetal not far behind. The gray warrior asks them what’s wrong, and Cherrypaw says that the fox that ShadowClan drove out might be in their territory and looking for more cats. The rest of the group gathers around as Molepaw meows that they’re on their way to report it to Bramblestar so that he can send a patrol to chase it out. Birchfall suggests that they should go take a look now, and Blossomfall agrees, pointing out that the five of them should be able to tackle one fox. Cherrypaw glances at her brother with an unreadable look, mewing that that’s a good idea, and they’ll tell Bramblestar to catch up with them. The three then race back to camp, with Rosepetal glancing behind her one more time. :Dovewing’s pelt pricks, and she thinks that she should have asked the apprentices for more information. However, Mousewhisker is already racing up the slope, so she and the rest of the patrol follow him. As they arrive, Dovewing cautions the warriors to wait for a minute and try to scent or see the fox before attacking. They hear a terrible shriek and the cats move forward to see if it is made by the fox. The group bursts out into a clear, sandy space, faced with a snarling female vixen, her back hunched in pain. Dovewing feels a shock of alarm, wondering if they walked into an ambush. Thornclaw gasps, pointing out that the fox is caught in a trap and crazed with pain. Blossomfall questions what they should do, as it can’t stay here. Ivypool creeps across the clearing, and Dovewing calls her to come back. However, the silver-and-white she-cat doesn’t hear her, and the fox lunges at the she-cat. :All of the cats begin attacking the red-pelted creature, and Dovewing perches on it’s back. However, she is flung off and hits the ground hard, her world spinning. Dimly, the gray warrior sees Cinderheart standing over her and Lionblaze moving to attack the fox. The gray tabby she-cat worries about her mate, but Dovewing encourages her to let him fight without his powers, as he’s still ThunderClan’s best warrior. The patrol of cats defeats the fox, and it lets out one more unearthly screech. The bracken rustles to reveal Bramblestar and Squirrelflight, staring in horror at the scene. The dark tabby tom asks what happened here, mentioning that Molepaw and Cherrypaw reported fox scents inside the border. Dovewing turns to face the apprentices, stating that they already knew the fox was trapped when they found it earlier that day. Both give a guilty admission, and Bramblestar meows that that’s not what they told him. :Dovewing states that they wanted her patrol to find the fox alive and crazed with pain, and Squirrelflight asks what their motive would be for doing so. The gray warrior continues that her patrol is made of warriors who once trained in the Dark Forest, and because of that, Cherrypaw and Molepaw feel no loyalty towards them. Bramblestar demands to know if this is true, and the siblings whine that they didn’t mean for it to turn out like this. A blur of movement streaks across the clearing and Lionblaze looms over the pair. He threatens them, but Bramblestar orders him to back down. The ThunderClan leader tells everyone that they will head back to camp so Jayfeather can check over the injured. All of the cats wearily follow him, tired after the long fight. Once back in camp, Bramblestar jumps on Highledge and roars that they’re having a Clan meeting. He praises the warriors from the Dark Forest, saying that they risked their lives for this Clan, and that every cat is in their debt. Bramblestar meows that some continue to blame these cats for their past actions, and that is why they were tricked today into taking on a wounded fox. :The leader states that these warriors have proved they will lay down their lives, and every cat will do the same for them in the future. Several members of the Clan, including Berrynose and Poppyfrost, still look uncomfortable. Bramblestar booms that the Dark Forest will win if the Clan remains divided, and questions if they want that. The hollow fills with a resounding no, and the leader prays to StarClan to honor these warriors who fought today. Molepaw and Cherrypaw apologize to the former Dark Forest trainees, saying that they’d love to patrol with them sometime. Bumblestripe thanks Dovewing for what she’s done, as it helps his sister Blossomfall. :Dovewing is beckoned over to Lionblaze and they both go with Jayfeather outside of camp to talk. The blind medicine cats states that all of their powers have vanished since the great battle. Both Lionlbaze and Dovewing admit the same, wondering why this has happened. Jayfeather says he doesn’t know, but might know who does. He asks them if they’re up for a journey, and both agree. Jayfeather jumps down from a tree trunk, telling the pair to follow him. Characters Major }} Minor *Rosepetal *Bramblestar *Brightheart *Leafpool *Berrynose *Poppyfrost *Jayfeather *Amberkit *Snowkit *Dewkit *Molepaw *Daisy *Thornclaw *Birchfall *Squirrelflight *Cinderheart *Lionblaze *Millie *Ivypool *Mousewhisker *Blossomfall *Cherrypaw * }} Mentioned *Sorreltail }} Notes and references Category:Novellas Category:Dovewing's Silence Category:Chapter subpages